GOLF

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17235, 15 April 1930, Page 12

GOLF

NEW ZEALAND V. VICTORIA KIRK CUP CONTEST (Per Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, last night. The. eliminating round of the KirkWindeyer Cup began to-day on the •Shirley course., the teams being New Zealand versus \ ieioria. There was perfect weather, and the fairways were itiy and hard, and the greens recovering Irum the dry spell, but not iu their best order. Duncan stood down from the New Zealand team, leaving) Horton, Altie-L-arlane, Black, and Ross. On tlie play to-day, Duncan certainly should have played instead of Ross, who could produce nothing bettor than handicap golf all day. 1J is drives were rarely straight, and his approaches invariably short and his putting inaccurate. The \ ictorian team were: Ryan, Bulte, Hancock, and Russell. MacFarlane and Horton (New Zealand) beat Ryan and Bulte (Victoria), seven up: Black and Ross (New Zealand) lost to Russell and Hancock, one down. Actually, the first match ended in AfacFarlano and Horton winning, live, up and four to play, but, in view of the possibility of the holes won having to be counted, which is‘the rule if ea-.ii team wins an equal number of mulches, the whole 36 holes had to be completed. In the other match, the Victorians won six up and five, but the New Zealanders recovered part of their lost form and won the last five holes. The day ended with each side having won one match, but New Zealand with a lead of six holes. MacFarlane and Horton played nearly par golf, with very few strokes dropped. They completed the course in the morning and the afternoon in 74. which is the standard scratch score at Shirley. Ryan and Bulte took 78 in the morning, and in the afternoon 73 for 17 holes, one hole being abandoned. Horton’s long game was excellent. Off the tee, Ryan sometimes was superior, but through the green Horton made few mistakes. AfacFarlane’s long game was good, but bis greatest strength was in bis knowledge of the course, which enabled him to play one-shot boles with certainty, and also made him very safe with iron shots to the pin. He "rarely failed to play, inside the Victorians. " Neither were faultless on the greens, but the turf seemed to he playing uncertainly. Of all the \ ictorians, Ryan seems most likely to win a single to-morrow, but he must, show an improvement on to-day’s form to beat Horton or MacFarlane, Bulte could beat neither of them on to-day’s form. Black struggled manfully against odds in the other match, getting little assistance from his partner, Ross, who was far below form. Black played some dazzling recoveries, bis best being the last hole of the day, where he played from under the trees, laying the ball 6ft. from the pin. In the morning round MacFarlane and Horton had a lead of two up; in the afternoon they quickly increased the lead to four, and thereafter had a certain grip on the match. Hancock 'and Russell finished t.he morning with a lead of four up. The New Zealanders won the first two holes in the afternoon, but. quickly lost two more, and were six down at the thirtv-first. Thereafter, luck and skill aided them. The Victorians presented them with one hole, taking seven for the long sixteenth (34th), and the New Zealanders won the others on merit,

Singles over 36 holes will l>e played to-morrow. The order of seniority of neither team lias not been announced; nor is the draw.